Does Dual-Wielding Seals Do Anything?
Yes, dual-wielding seals in games like Elden Ring and other RPGs that feature faith-based spellcasting typically does offer tangible benefits, though the specific advantages can vary greatly depending on the game mechanics. While you generally won’t cast two spells at once, dual-wielding primarily boosts your overall incantation scaling, enhancing the potency of your spells. It’s not always a straightforward “double” effect; the scaling is usually calculated by combining the scaling of both seals. Some seals also offer unique passive bonuses, like increased damage for specific incantation types, and these bonuses do stack when dual-wielded.
Understanding Incantation Scaling and Dual-Wielding
The core concept revolves around incantation scaling. This stat, found on each seal, determines how much your Faith (or other relevant stat) influences the damage and effectiveness of your incantations. A higher incantation scaling generally means stronger heals, more damaging offensive spells, and improved buffs.
How Incantation Scaling Works in Dual-Wielding
When you dual-wield seals, the game typically calculates your effective incantation scaling using a combination of both seals’ stats. This isn’t a simple addition. The game often prioritizes the seal with the highest individual scaling, then adds a portion of the scaling from the second seal. The exact formula is often hidden and may be determined via player testing and community research within each specific game.
- Highest Scaling Prioritization: The seal held in your right hand often serves as the primary scaling source. The left-hand seal provides supplemental scaling.
- Diminishing Returns: The benefit from the second seal isn’t usually a full 1:1 addition. You’ll gain some scaling, but not the full value shown on the seal.
Passive Bonuses: Where Dual-Wielding Truly Shines
Beyond the scaling bonus, many seals offer unique passive effects that directly improve specific incantation types. These are often the real reason to dual-wield.
- Increased Damage for Specific Types: Some seals might boost Fire, Lightning, or Bloodflame incantation damage.
- Increased Buff Duration: Certain seals may extend the duration of buffs like weapon buffs or protective incantations.
- Improved Healing Potency: Some can increase the amount of health restored by healing incantations.
Critically, these passive bonuses stack when you dual-wield. This means you can significantly amplify the effectiveness of specific incantation builds. For example, dual-wielding seals that boost Fire damage will result in a substantially higher damage output for your fire-based spells than simply using one.
The Stance Matters: Right-Hand vs. Left-Hand
As touched on before, the hand in which you hold each seal is important. While some games treat them equally (though this is rare), it’s much more common that the seal in your right hand is used for calculating the actual stat-based damage or effect, whilst the seal in your left-hand provides the supplemental scaling and its passive bonus.
Potential Drawbacks of Dual-Wielding
While dual-wielding seals offers considerable advantages, it’s important to be aware of potential drawbacks:
- Increased Weight: Carrying two seals increases your equip load, potentially impacting your character’s mobility (rolling speed and distance).
- Stat Investment: Effectively utilizing two seals may require a higher investment in Faith and other relevant stats to meet their requirements.
- Limited Weapon Options: Dual-wielding seals prevents you from using a shield or weapon in your off-hand for blocking or parrying. This can affect your defensive capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does dual-wielding increase the cast speed of incantations?
No, generally dual-wielding does not directly affect the cast speed of incantations. Cast speed is usually determined by your Dexterity stat or specific equipment/talismans that boost casting speed.
2. Do status effect buildup incantations (like poison or bleed) benefit from dual-wielding?
Yes, if the seals you’re using boost the damage of the type of incantation you’re using, they will generally increase the speed of the status build up. However, it’s important to note that some games use a hidden flat build-up stat for each incantation, meaning that the scaling on seals may not actually be the scaling which determines the status buildup value.
3. Does dual-wielding work with all types of incantations?
Yes, dual-wielding benefits all types of incantations by boosting the overall scaling (damage, healing power, buff strength, etc). However, the magnitude of the benefit will depend on the specific seals you’re using and how their passive bonuses complement your chosen incantation build.
4. How do I know which seals are best for dual-wielding?
Experimentation is key! Look for seals that offer:
- High individual incantation scaling.
- Passive bonuses that synergize with your preferred incantation types (Fire, Lightning, Holy, etc.).
- Acceptable weight for your build.
5. Is it always better to dual-wield seals than using a seal with a shield?
No. The best option depends on your playstyle. A shield provides valuable defensive capabilities, allowing you to block attacks and potentially parry enemies. If you prefer a more aggressive, offensive approach, dual-wielding seals can significantly boost your damage output. Consider your survivability needs.
6. Does the order I equip the seals matter?
Yes, it often does. As mentioned, many games prioritize the seal in your right hand for determining the base incantation scaling. Experiment with equipping the seals in different orders to see which combination yields the highest scaling.
7. If one seal is unupgraded and the other is fully upgraded, what happens?
The game will use each seal’s individual stat scaling based on their own upgrade levels to determine the effective stat scaling. So you are gaining almost no benefit from the unupgraded seal.
8. Does having higher stats increase the effectiveness of dual-wielding seals?
Yes. Higher Faith (or equivalent stat) increases the overall incantation scaling of each seal. Therefore, investing in the appropriate stat makes dual-wielding even more effective.
9. Can I dual-wield two of the same seal?
Yes, you can in most games. Doing so will stack the passive bonuses of the seal. So this is often a good strategy if a seal has a really good passive.
10. How do I see the combined incantation scaling when dual-wielding?
Unfortunately, many games don’t display a combined incantation scaling stat. You may need to rely on testing the damage output of your spells with different seal combinations to determine the most effective setup, or consult community resources.
11. Do dual-wielding seals affect weapon buffs?
Yes. Dual-wielding seals boosts the strength of weapon buffs if the scaling is high enough, and will increase their duration if the equipped seals have bonuses that do so.
12. What if I don’t meet the stat requirements for one of the seals?
If you don’t meet the stat requirements for a seal, you won’t receive the full benefits of its incantation scaling or passive bonuses. You’ll likely experience a significant reduction in effectiveness.
13. Is there a level or point where dual-wielding is no longer worth it?
Potentially. As you progress through the game and acquire higher-level seals, the incremental benefit of dual-wielding a weaker seal might become negligible compared to the added weight and potential defensive disadvantages. At that point, focusing on a single, powerful seal and a shield might be more beneficial.
14. Does upgrading seals make dual-wielding more effective?
Absolutely. Upgrading seals increases their incantation scaling, directly enhancing the benefits you receive from dual-wielding. The higher the upgrade level, the greater the damage boost or increased healing/buff potency.
15. Are there any specific builds that benefit most from dual-wielding seals?
Builds that focus on specific incantation types (e.g., Fire, Lightning, Dragon Communion) benefit the most from dual-wielding seals. This is because you can combine seals that offer passive bonuses to those specific damage types, resulting in a significant damage boost. Buff-focused builds can also benefit greatly from stacking duration bonuses.